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Durban - A KwaZulu-Natal man is suing a cruise liner for R5m
after he had a heart attack at sea and was allegedly not given adequate medical
care.

Court documents show that Hilton Curgenven is seeking
compensation from cruise line giant Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) and
Starlight Cruises, reported the Sunday Tribune.

Curgenven worked as a volunteer shore man for the company,
ferrying passengers to shore and back. He only paid R500 for a three-day
cruise, enjoying the same amenities as other passengers.

He had the heart attack on board the MSC Sinfonia last year
and instead of being airlifted to hospital, he claims he was given an injection
and fell into a coma for six weeks. He heard later that when the ship docked,
he was dumped on a stretcher on the wharf and someone who knew him called an
ambulance.

Curgenven claimed his life fell apart after the heart attack
as he now needed bypass surgery. He lost his business, was unable to work and
had no medical aid. He thought he was covered by the cruise liner’s
insurance.

A spokesperson for MSC said the matter was in court and he
felt the media was not the appropriate place to respond to the matter.

But in documents filed in court, the cruise liner and
Starlight Cruises both deny liability, saying Curgenven had entered into a
contract with them and had known the ship was not a hospital.

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